Cheating in lightning chess – how unproven allegations ended in tragedy

The death of a young grandmaster accused of cheating by one of his childhood heroes has once again raised the spectre of fraud in the so-called Game of Kings.

Daniel Naroditsky, 29, was a pioneer in the world of competitive speed chess, which surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and amassed hundreds of thousands of online followers.

But the chess world was rocked when allegations of cheating – never substantiated – were levelled against him by former world champion Vladimir Kramnik.

The explosion of online chess has brought with it a surge in cheating claims – false and otherwise – that has often put the ancient board game in the headlines.

In his haunting final livestream, Naroditsky talked about the toll it had on him, saying it felt like “people assume the worst” when he won games.

Naroditsky – known to many as Danya – was found unresponsive at his home in North Carolina in October.

The cause of his death has not been made public and police are investigating it as a possible suicide, overdose or from natural causes.

Leader of the blazing fast world of online speed chess

A prodigy, Naroditsky was just 18 when he became a grandmaster (the highest title in chess apart from world champion).

The son of Jewish immigrants to the US from Ukraine and Azerbaijan, he was born in San Mateo County, California, and showed an impressive attention span and memory as a child.

Naroditsky was consistently ranked in the top 200 for traditional chess, but it was in the fast-paced world of blitz chess where he truly excelled.

In the format where players have just fractions of a second to make decisions, Naroditsky maintained a spot in the top 25 players in the world.

He became one of the most influential voices in the sport and drew hundreds of thousands of followers online as he played a fundamental role in popularising speed chess.

Naroditsky, like many prominent chess players, would regularly livestream his games and provide live commentary on his moves.

‘People assume the worst’

Comments by Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, a former world champion and well-known figure in the chess world, were seen as unsubstantiated claims of cheating levelled against Naroditsky.

He had been one of Naroditsky’s childhood heroes. Naroditsky denied the claims and they were never proven.

But the allegations – which Kramnik denies ever making – appear to have taken a toll on the young chess star.

In the last livestream he filmed before his death, Naroditsky said it was “absolutely terrifying” seeing some people believe the cheating accusations. “You’re like, this cannot be happening.”

He added: “Ever since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions.”

“The issue is just the lingering effect of it.”

Grandmasters criticise Kramnik

Members of the chess world paid tribute to Naroditsky in the days after his death, praising his prodigious skill and his impact on the community.

“Let us remember Daniel for his passion and love for the game of chess, and for the joy and inspiration he brought to us all every day,” his family said.

But as well as tributes to Naroditsky, fellow grandmasters have also heavily criticised Kramnik on social media.

American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura went on an expletive-laden rant on a livestream, while Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin accused the Russian pro of trying to destroy Naroditsky’s life.

Others called for an end to the constant finger-pointing that seems to have followed players like Naroditsky who excelled specifically at speed chess,

Chess.com – the hugely popular website where people from all over the world, including the game’s elite, come together to play – shut down Kramnik’s blog in 2023.

It said he had used the platform to spread baseless cheating allegations about “many dozens of players”.

Who is Vladimir Kramnik and who has he accused?

Born in the Soviet Union, in what is now Russia, Kramnik, 50, is a former world champion and one of the top-ranked players of his generation.

But his outspoken nature has seen him in the headlines for his words rather than his chessboard talent.

Starting in October 2024, he made comments about Naroditsky, suggesting his near-perfect play was “statistically impossible”.

Kramnik continued to post about Naroditsky on the day his death was announced, calling it a tragedy and speculating about the cause.

He said Naroditsky’s death “has deeply shaken me personally” but also went on to criticise what he called “an unprecedentedly cynical and unlawful campaign of harassment against me and my family”.

Kramnik denied making any personal attacks or insults towards Naroditsky.

It’s not the first time Kramnik has gotten caught up in discussions of alleged irregularities in the game.

His comments about Nakamura – a hugely popular chess streamer and one of the highest-ranked players in the world – attracted a lot of attention.

In a post on his now-shuttered blog in November 2023, he said: “Having checked Hikaru’s statistics carefully, I have found NUMEROUS low probabilities performances both of him and some of his opponents.”

Nakamura said that Kramnik was “cherry picking” statistics and criticised “false accusations”.

In a statement, Chess.com said it had analysed almost 2,000 reports on Hikaru’s games in its Fair Play system and “found no incidents of cheating”.

Kramnik responded by claiming that he never accused Hikaru of cheating and threatened to sue Chess.com.

Cheating in chess – how common is it?

While bending the rules in traditional “over the board chess” is difficult (but not impossible), the surge in popularity of online chess has seen more instances of cheating.

According to Professor Kenneth Regan, an expert in computer science and a chess international master, there are between five and 10 cases of cheating each year for in-person chess.

“The rate of cheating online is 100 to 200 times higher than the rate over the board,” he added.

There are ways to police the game online, he says, but these are intrusive.

“The thing that often gets forgotten is that in statistics, lightning does, sometimes, strike twice,” Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com, told Sky News’ sister outlet NBC News.

“When you have 20 million games being played every day, a one-in-a-million chance thing happens every day.

“Some players, especially old-guard players who didn’t grow up playing online chess, often find that hard to understand.”

In 2022, Magnus Carlsen – considered by many to be the greatest player of all time – accused American Hans Niemann of cheating.

The explosive allegations followed a shock upset victory for Niemann over Carlsen at an in-person match as well as an online game between the pair in which Carlsen resigned after just one move.

It sparked a furore that brought huge attention to the sport – not always considered a bad thing – and ended with the players agreeing to move forward and an end to legal proceedings.

Complaint against Kramnik – and an award in Naroditsky’s memory

Chess’s international governing body FIDE (the chess version of FIFA) has filed a complaint against Kramnik following his conduct towards Naroditsky.

If the complaint is found proven, Kramnik could face sanctions including a fine or a ban from competitions.

Kramnik again denied wrongdoing after the complaint was filed, telling Reuters news agency: “What public statement after the death of Daniel was incorrect? … I have not bullied Daniel Naroditsky, nor ever made personal insults towards him.”

A petition calling on FIDE to ban Kramnik and revoke his grandmaster title has attracted more than 54,000 signatures.

Meanwhile, FIDE has said it will establish a special prize in memory of Naroditsky and his contribution to chess.

“It is painful for players like Danya (Naroditsky) to be accused of cheating, because since they were young they put in hours and hours and hours of work,” Allebast, the chief executive of Chess.com said.

“For some, that all gets thrown into the garbage by an accusation. For players who view chess as sacred, it hurts them in the soul.”

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK